This year’s programme brings a mix of feature films, documentaries and shorts, alongside filmmaker Q&As, workshops and moments designed to spark dialogue well beyond the screen.
Reel Palestine has returned to Cinema Akil for its 12th edition, running from January 23 to February 1, 2026, bringing a wide-ranging programme of Palestinian cinema to Dubai. Presented by Bayt in partnership with Alserkal Avenue and supported by official partners including Advanced Media, Bristol, Bark & Berg, Hikmat Palestine and The Giving Movement, this year’s festival offers a carefully curated selection of fiction, documentary and short films, alongside community-focused events.
The festival opens with the UAE premiere of Once Upon a Time in Gaza by Arab and Tarzan Nasser. The award-winning drama, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, is set in Gaza in 2007 and follows two friends navigating crime, loyalty and survival under siege, while exploring themes of identity, power and the spectacle of violence. Actor Majd Eid will attend the opening night screening for an in-person question-and-answer session with the audience.
This year’s programme includes 11 feature-length films, five short films and a total of 29 screenings, featuring two titles shortlisted for the Academy Awards. Beyond screenings, Reel Palestine will host two weekends of the Reel Palestine Souk, as well as a series of Q&A sessions and workshops, expanding the festival’s reach beyond the cinema into broader cultural and community engagement.
A key highlight of the 2026 edition is the focus on acclaimed Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, who will attend the festival in person to lead a masterclass and participate in post-screening discussions. Her latest feature, Palestine 36, one of the Academy Award–nominated films in the programme, revisits British Mandate Palestine in 1936, following a young man torn between village life and Jerusalem as political tensions escalate. The festival will also present a special screening of Jacir’s celebrated film Wajib, dedicated to the memory of the late Palestinian actor and filmmaker Mohammad Bakri, who passed away in 2025.
The documentary selection offers intimate portraits of life, creativity and endurance under occupation and conflict. Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk by Sepideh Farsi presents a deeply personal account of life in Gaza through video calls with photojournalist Fatma Hassona, with Farsi joining audiences for a post-screening discussion. Another Academy Award–nominated work, All That’s Left of You by Cherien Dabis, unfolds in the moments leading up to a confrontation between a Palestinian teenager and Israeli soldiers, tracing intergenerational trauma linked to displacement since 1948.
Other documentaries include The Clown of Gaza by Abdulrahman Sabbah, which follows a performer bringing moments of joy to children amid devastation, and One More Show by Mai Saad and Ahmed El Danafi, documenting the Free Gaza circus troupe’s acts of defiance through performance. Palestine Comedy Club by Alaa Aliabdallah spotlights stand-up comedians navigating political and social constraints, while Who Is Still Alive by Nicolas Wadimoff gives voice to Gazans who recreate their neighbourhoods in chalk as they share stories of memory, survival and humanity.
The short film programme presents a diverse mix of personal and experimental storytelling. Titles include Born A Celebrity by Luay Awad, which explores privacy and freedom in a small Palestinian town; Gaza Bride 17 by Waseem Khair, a poetic reflection on grief and trauma; and BAISANOS by Andrés and Francisca Khamis Giacoman, a documentary tracing the connection between Chile and Palestine through the football club Deportivo Palestino. The second shorts programme features I’m Glad You’re Dead Now by Tawfeek Barhom, in which two brothers return to their childhood island to confront unresolved family tensions.
The Reel Palestine Souk will take place over two weekends at Alserkal Avenue, bringing together 50 Palestinian designers, artisans, collectives and social enterprises, with 35 vendors participating each weekend. Hosted around Cinema Akil and KAVE, the Souk showcases contemporary Palestinian culture through fashion, crafts, jewellery, homeware, art, books and select food offerings, while fostering community exchange and supporting independent makers. The festival will also feature a masterclass by Annemarie Jacir and a special exhibition of Palestinian National Team football shirts from the personal collection of Rakan Al-Hassoun at KAVE.
The visual identity for Reel Palestine 2026 has been created by Palestinian artist Rami Afifi, drawing inspiration from a period when Arabic illustration had a distinct regional voice. Referencing artists such as Helmi El Touni, Mohieddine Ellabbad and Naji Al-Ali, the artwork evokes the aesthetics of vintage children’s books and revolutionary posters, reclaiming a visual language rooted in Arab storytelling. Created from the perspective of an artist separated from his homeland, the imagery weaves together symbols of Palestinian life, from Gaza’s fishermen and Jaffa’s orange groves to Jerusalem’s ka’ak, musicians, artisans and native flora, forming a visual archive of culture and belonging.
Reel Palestine 2026 is supported by Bayt and its official partners, with communications handled by Soul Communications and media partnership from Dazed Middle East. Together, these collaborations continue to sustain Reel Palestine as a vital platform for Palestinian cinema, culture and dialogue. The festival runs from January 23 to February 1 at Cinema Akil.
